Old Friends
by LilMissKel
Summary: Yet another...Steroline story. Difference? It's not a oneshot! :D Rated M because I may do some smut later..But not yet.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, hello again, people of the internet. Soo..It's a second Steroline. I usually only do one shots, but..I think this might be a few chapters. Probably 5. If I have the attention span, I mean. I'll do my very best to keep it going, I promise. c:**

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Stefan's POV

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_"Stefan, you...You know how I feel about you. Do I really have to say it?"_

"Yes, Care, you really do." Stefan muttered to himself, remembering the blonde's words before she had stormed away from him. He poured himself a little more of Damon's bourbon. He wasn't drunk, per se, but the alcohol made his mind slightly more numb than usual. It was a few weeks after the 1920's dance, Damon was off on his own again, like he had been since Alaric turned into the next Mikael and was killed soon after, and Elena..Well, Elena had confirmed she remembered their time together, that she still cared about him. But he knew that she also cared for Damon. _It's like Katherine all over again, only this time without the mind games._

Caroline had also let him know that, while she still fully supported Stefan and Elena, she also liked him. She liked him a lot, since he rejected her for Elena. Especially then, she had said, because she loved a challenge. He knew that now, and remembered teaching her how to hunt bunnies and her frantic, rather silly comments and questions. He smiled almost involuntarily, remembering how she made him smile like his other best friend used to. Up until Lexi had slammed his head into the window of a car, she made him feel like that. She was really his only best friend, Caroline was just a backup, almost. But after...Well, Caroline was much more caring. She made him feel alive again, not mortal like Elena, but not like a monster, like Katherine and Rebekah had. She made him feel like he had a purpose, almost.

She was really something, his Caroline. _My Caroline, _he noted mentally, frowning at himself. She wasn't his, she was Tyler's and, well, and Klaus'. She wasn't a belonging, either, not a trophy to have. But she was beautiful and charming and sweet and loving and strong and—_No. _Stefan stopped himself, taking deep breaths and forcing himself to think about beautiful, courageous Elena. Stubborn, sexy Katherine. Anything to distract him from his blonde best friend. Realizing it wasn't working too well, he poured himself more alcohol from the glass bottle. He had to stop, damn it.

She may have been having trouble with Tyler and Klaus and Matt and whoever else she was trying to juggle in her relationship area—For all Stefan knew, Dean Winchester could be in that list, too—but she wasn't telling him. With that thought came a small wave of depression. She didn't tell him anything anymore, it seemed. He missed when she would just drag him to the Grill and force him to listen to her Tyler problems, even if it was mostly to keep him busy while Elena went on dangerous finding-herself missions.

The bottom line was, he missed her. He missed his best friends a lot. Caroline and Lexi. The two of them would have teamed up against him in the end, had Damon not killed the first blonde. He couldn't exactly call Lexi, with her on the other side and all, but Caroline he could.

He picked up his iPhone with a frown and quickly typed "Care" in the contacts, tapping the little envelope by her name to text her.

_ Caroline, I know you probably don't care, but I miss you._

He tapped the green send button before he had the chance to think too much about it, and waited for her response.

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Caroline's POV

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Caroline was sitting on her bed, writing in her green diary absentmindedly, explaining her day without really thinking about it. She could only think about the look on Stefan's face when she had yelled that she liked him. Or, at least, she implied it. That should have been enough, right? Her mind was racing while her pen moved robotically across the page.

_"...and Klaus sent _another _drawing of me and that beautiful horse. Does he never give up? I mean, he's a murderer. Why does he think I'll just..fall into his arms, like some helpless princess?" _Caroline paused. She was trying to remember what, exactly, Tyler had said to her early. She couldn't quite get a hold on the conversation from her memory, though. She put her pen down, hearing her ringtone, Here Comes The Sun, start playing. She unlocked it quickly, since it was late and her mother was asleep. She read the text from Stefan, her lips moving silently.

_so now you miss me? _She responded, frowning at her phone. It took him a week to talk to her after she told him. A week! That was just not all right with her. He couldn't expect her, of all people, to fall all over herself to talk to him. No, she'd talk to him when she wanted to. She went back to righting, this time about Stefan, and about how infuriating he was.

The Beatles started playing again and she turned her phone to vibrate quickly, then opening the text.

_Care. _One word, and it set her off again.

_dont you "Care" me, Stefan Salvatore. you had a WEEK to respond in any way, but you didnt. sorry, you dont get to suddenly swoop in like some knight in shining, white armor. _She sent back, frowning. She slammed the cover on her diary shut and stood up, pacing. She didn't know what to think now. Stefan _missed _her. He missed her! She should have been ecstatic, but instead she was pissed. She frowned and slipped a pair of black flats on and zoomed down her stairs and out her door silently. She ran quickly over to the Salvatore boarding house, knocking on the door quietly. Of course, Stefan answered it in less than a minute, being the polite thing to do. She stared at his almost stunned face before burying her face in his chest, hugging him to her tightly.


	2. Chapter 2

**You know the drill. Not my character, nor my show. All rights to..whoever owns it. Julie Plec? I don't know. Steroline, ch. 2.**

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Stefan's POV

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Stefan opened Caroline's text message and managed a small smile, his hope draining slowly. She was mad. Oh, how Caroline could throw a fit, too. Elena once told him that she refused to talk to her for a week for not inviting her to the lake with her and Bonnie. His favorite little blonde, how she tended to baffle and annoy people.

But not him. No, he just wanted more. It didn't make sense to him. Wasn't he in love with Elena? Hadn't he been in love with Katherine until Lexi came along? He sighed, putting his head in his hands in frustration. How could one girl get so far under his skin? He wasn't exactly a ripper anymore, but he wasn't bunny-eating Stefan, either. He heard a knock on the door and figured it must be Damon, so he just ran over to answer it.

Was he surprised to see, not Damon, but Caroline at his door late at night. He shouldn't be surprised, knowing Caroline for nearly a year, but she still managed to shock him, with moments like that.

Stefan thought she was going to start yelling at him, but instead Caroline hugged him. Thirty seconds after he opened the door. He smiled wryly, resisting a sudden urge to laugh, he wrapped his arms around her, breathing in her sweet scent, cherry mixed with orange blossoms. In a way, it reminded him of Katherine and Lexi put together.

"Forgiven me yet?" He whispered, smiling down at her hopefully.

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Caroline's POV

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"Forgiven me yet?" Caroline laughed, a quiet rumble in her chest, a musical sound.

"You're an idiot, Salvatore." she murmured, resting her chin on his chest so she could look up into his beautiful green eyes. She smiled, remembering what she felt when she first met him. When he smiled, sparks. Talking to him between third and fourth period, electricity. But when he rejected her at first, at the bonfire..Her world felt like it had been falling apart for a moment. Until she found the alcohol and Bonnie.

She had complained that no one ever wanted her, that she was never anyone's first choice. Looking back, she wanted to roll her eyes at herself. She may not be Stefan's first choice, but she was in the running—That was definitely something, given Princess Elena's status in his eyes.

"Is that a yes?" he asked her, shaking her out of her short period of nostalgia. She giggled, shaking her head, more out of disbelief than anything else.

"Is that a yes? What do you think, broody boy?" she asked rhetorically, smiling up at him and leaning up to press her lips to his cheek. She knew how he felt about Elena, so she didn't want to go further than that.

Of course, she wasn't the only one capable of surprising people. Stefan turned his head, making their lips meet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Semi-embarrassed to admit I have no clue what a lemon scene is..So there probably won't be one yet. Sorry D: **

**Same old story with the credits to Julie Plec or whoever actually owns the show. Thanks for the reviews, guys(:**

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Omniscient POV

Caroline returned the kiss anxiously, practically dissolving into a puddle of goop at the shock she received. But, hey, who wouldn't? No one she knew, not even Bonnie, would disagree that Stefan was one of the best kissers in Mystic Falls. Even if they hadn't kissed him themselves, they'd have heard.

She was sure she wasn't exactly a bad kisser, either, so Stefan had to be enjoying it a little. He had been the one to insinuate it, after all. She pulled back after about thirty seconds, smiling sweetly up at him. The smile was short lived, though, and it slowly fell off her face as the full extent of what just happened hit her.

He kissed her. He was dating Elena. She was dating Tyler. She kissed him back. "Oh, no. Oh, no no no." she murmured, shaking her head, feeling like this was pre-Tyler, post Matt all over again. "Why does everyone keep kissing me?" she muttered, blue green eyes wide with panic. She felt strong arms wrap around her again, not doing anything but holding her, calming her down easily, making her feel safe.

Stefan was staring down at her, a bemused expression on his face. "Care, why don't we just go watch..." he frowned, trying to remember that movie she was so obsessed with.

"The Journal?" He guessed, earning a quiet, shaky laugh from her as she corrected him. He lead her inside to one of the couches and sat her down, putting in the movie from a shelf under the TV. She suspected he just messed up the name to make her smile a little. The movie started to play, and she found herself lost in Allie and Noah's story, wishing for such a fairytale.

Stefan settled next to her comfortable, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the sappy, Titanic-esque comedy. When it got closer to the end, with the old people, Caroline began tearing up, like all girls seemed to at this movie. He started to drift to sleep a little, before the blonde smacked his shoulder hard, waking him up instantly, grumbling.

The end credits rolled, and Caroline was bawling. Stefan wiped her eyes, trying to stifle laughter.

"Don't laugh at me." she muttered sullenly. "It's an emotional movie that pulls its audience into the lives of Allie and Noah, up until the end."

"Uh huh, if you say so, Caroline." He stood up, helping her up as well. "I'm just going to guess that you'll spend the night? It's only a few hours until morning, anyways." Caroline nodded easily, heading up the stairs and to his room. He followed soon after, quickly changing into a pair of Nike gym shorts that he used as pajamas and tossing her a large, Harvard t-shirt. She pulled it on quietly and stood kind of awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Care, I don't bite." Stefan said, his tone bored as he climbed into bed, making sure she had plenty of room on her side so that she could keep her distance if she wished to. She hesitated, but climbed in all the same, glad that tomorrow was Saturday.

"No funny business, Salvatore." she murmured, her eyelids already drifting shut.

"Nope." he responded quietly, smiling to himself. "No funny business." With those words, he leaned over and kissed her forehead before rolling over and going back to sleep, knowing he'd be up in an hour or two, long before she'd be.


End file.
